Keyhole-guard and key-lock.



PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1908.

E. L. MEDLER. KEYHOLE GUARD AND KEY LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED KAY 2, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD L. MEDLER, OF ALBUQUERQUE, TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

KEYHOLE-GUARD AND ICEY-LOCK.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. MEDLER, citizen of the United States, residing at Albuquerque, in the county of Bernalillo and Territory of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Keyhole-Guards and Key-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to rovide a novel form of guard for looks of oors to prevent picking of the lock and to afford greater security than is incident to the most common types of door looks at present in use.

The essential feature of the invention resides in the provision of a peculiar form of guard plate which is preferably attached to the escutcheon of the lock and which revents the introduction of a key or tool by.

which to operate the locking mechanism, after said guard plate has been properly adjusted for this purpose.

The guard plate above mentioned is not only designed to afford a uard for the keyhole opening of the lock, ut is adapted to look a key, already laced in the look from the inside, from disp acement.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for efi ecting the result, referonce is to be had to the following descri tion and accompanying drawings, in whic Figure 1 is a front elevation of a door lock showing a common form of escutcheon and illustrating the invention in dotted lines. Fig. 2 1s a perspective view from the rear, bringing out more clearly the manner of mounting the guard plate upon the escutcheon. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionalview through the escutcheon.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters. I

Specifically describing the invention and referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the escutcheon at the inner side of a door lock, the same being of any common form and being provided with the usual key opening 2. The invention is preferably applied to the escutcheon 1 and consists of a plate 3, the upper end ortion of which is rovided with a yertiea slot 4 receiving a eaded stud 5 projecti from the inner face of the member 1. T e slot 4 permits Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 2, 1906.

Patented Sept. 1, 1908.

Serial No. 314,888.

of a certain amount of vertical movement of the plate 3, said plate being likewise adapted for a certain amount of pivotal movement so that it may be thrown laterally to assume a position either partially closing or entirely closing the key opening 2. The adjustment of the plate 3 is determined by means of an areuate slot 6 formed in the escutcheon 1 a short distance below the key opening 2, said slot 6 being rovided at its ends and intermediate 0' its ends with notches 7 constituting virtually, continued ortions of the slot. A fingerpiece 8 PIOJGOtS outwardly from the plate 3 through the slot 6 and is adapted to be grasped in order to eflect actuation of the plate 3.

The shank of the finger-piece 8 is adapted the p ate in a position, first, entirely closingthe opening 2; second, partiall closing the oppning 2; and third, leaving the openmg 2 W olly free to permit of passage of the key thereinto, or removal of such key. In other words, when the finger-piece 8 of the plate 3 is so mani ulated as to impart pivotal movement to the plate sufiiciently to throw the lower portion of the plate across the lower portion of the ke o enin 2, it will be comprehended that t e ey a ready in the lock, will be prevented, from displacement b being engaged by the said plate 3. It wil be noted that the plate 3 is provided in one of its vertical edges with a recessed portion 9 to receive the body of the key and ermit of engagement of the plate 3 therewit in the manner above mentioned. When the key is re moved from the lock, the plate 3 may be adjusted so that the finger-piece 8 engages in one of the extreme notches 7 and entirely closes the ke opening from the inner side of the door. T e plate 3 has an arm 10 projecting perpendicularly from its outer slde, and located at a point on said plate at the back of the recess 9 so that when said plate entirely closes the opening 2, this arm will assume a position in hne with the key opening 20f the ock and will form a sto to prevent the inslertion of a key from t e outer side of the oor.

The position of the plate 3 when adjusted I in any of the various ways above suggested,

is fixed by reason of the interlocking en agereadily applied to the various forms of look at resent in use, in an obvious way.

t is to be particularly noted that the arm 10 is always in transverse ali-nernent with the bit receiving portion of the key-hole opening. Hence said varm will prevent the turning of the key whenever it is desired that it shall have thls function, according to the adsways recess in alinement with the bit receiving portion of the key-hole opening, means for holding said plate in the following positions, to wit, with the wall of its recess in osition to engage a key inserted in the keyole, or in such a position that the solid portion back of said recess will entirely close said key-hole, and an arm secured to and projecting perpendicularly from the plate in transverse alinement with the bit-receiving portion ofthe "key-hole opening and back of'the recess, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDW ARD L. 'MEDLE-R. Witnesses:

GEORGE L. WYLLYS, URSINUS S. BATEMAN. 

